Nanowire light emitting device

ABSTRACT

A nanowire light emitting device is provided. The nanowire light emitting device includes a substrate, a first conductive layer formed on the substrate, a plurality of nanowires vertically formed on the first conductive layer, each nanowire comprising a p-doped portion and an n-doped portion, a light emitting layer between the p-doped portion and the n-doped portion, a second conductive layer formed on the nanowires, and an insulating polymer in which a light emitting material is embedded, filling a space between the nanowires. The color of light emitted from the light emitting layer varies according to the light emitting material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No.10-2004-0023805, filed on Apr. 7, 2004, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a nanowire light emitting device, andmore particularly, to a nanowire light emitting device in which a lightemitting material is formed to convert light emitted by nanowires intodifferent light.

2. Description of the Related Art

A light emitting diode (LED) using a gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductoris under study. Although the GaN-based LED has high light emittingefficiency, it has a mismatch problem with a substrate, thus making itdifficult to produce a large-sized device.

Technology in which a light emitting device uses a nanostructure such asa nanowire is being developed. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.Hei 10-326888 discloses a light emitting device comprising a nanowirecomposed of silicon and a method of fabricating the light emittingdevice. After a catalytic layer such as gold is deposited on asubstrate, the silicon nanowire is grown from the catalytic layer byflowing silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) gas into a reactor. In the lightemitting device, emitting colors are controlled by controlling adiameter of the nanowires.

The silicon nanowire light emitting device, although being manufacturedat a low cost, has a low light emitting efficiency.

U.S. patent Publication No. 2003/0168964 discloses a nanowire lightemitting device having a p-n diode structure. In this case, the lowerportion of the nanowire is an n-type nanowire and the upper portion is ap-type nanowire, and light is emitted from the junction region betweenthe two portions. Other components are added using a vapor phase-liquidphase-solid phase (VLS) method in order to fabricate a nanowire lightemitting device having the p-n junction structure. In the light emittingdevice of the U.S. patent Publication, a predetermined fluorescentmaterial is disposed on a transparent substrate in order to provide avisible ray of a desired color.

As the nanowire having the p-n junction structure is grown on acatalytic layer, the n-type nanowire and the p-type nanowire aresequentially formed, thus making it difficult to obtain a high qualityp-n junction structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a light emitting device, including amaterial emitting a predetermined color filling a space betweennanowires.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided ananowire light emitting device comprising: a substrate; a firstconductive layer formed on the substrate; a plurality of nanowiresvertically formed on the first conductive layer, each nanowirecomprising a p-doped portion and an n-doped portion; a light emittinglayer between the p-doped portion and the n-doped portion; a secondconductive layer formed on the nanowires; and an insulating polymer inwhich a light emitting material is embedded, filling a space between thenanowires, wherein a color of light emitted from the light emittinglayer varies according to the light emitting material.

The p-doped portion and n-doped portion may be doped with dopant atomswhen the nanowires are grown or may be formed by adsorbing organicmolecules onto the surfaces of the nanowires. The light emitting layermay be a contact boundary between the p-doped portion and the n-dopedportion. The light emitting layer may be an undoped intrinsic portionformed between the p-doped portion and the n-doped portion.

The light emitting material may be a fluorescent material.Alternatively, light emitting material may be a dye or a quantum dot.

The insulating polymer in which the light emitting material is embeddedmay be a colloidal quantum dot. The nanowire light emitting device mayfurther comprise a reflective layer that reflects light emitted from thenanowires.

The reflective layer may be disposed below the first conductive layerand the substrate, and the first conductive layer may be composed of alight transmitting material. Alternatively, the reflective layer may bedisposed on the second conductive layer, and the second conductive layermay be a transparent electrode.

The n-doped portion may be a portion of the nanowires where moleculeshaving a low ionization potential are adsorbed on the surface of thenanowires.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of the present inventionwill become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodimentsthereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a nanowire light emitting deviceaccording to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating how a fluorescent material, dye, orquantum dot, which is a light emitting material, is embedded in theinsulating polymer;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating colloidal quantum dots in which organicmolecule chains are attached thereto; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram of a nanowire light emitting deviceaccording to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A nanowire light emitting device according to the present invention willbecome more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodimentsthereof with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a nanowire light emitting deviceaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conductive layer (a first electrode layer) 110 isformed on a substrate 100 and a plurality of nanowires 120 are formedroughly at right angles to the conductive layer 110. An insulatingpolymer 130, in which a light emitting material is embedded, fills aspace between the nanowires 120. An electrode layer (a second electrodelayer) 140 is formed on the nanowires 120.

The nanowires 120 each have a p-type doped portion 122, an n-type dopedportion 126 and an intrinsic portion 124, which is a light emittinglayer between the p-type doped portion 122 and the n-type doped portion126. The intrinsic portion 124 is not doped.

The substrate 100 may be a silicon wafer, a sapphire wafer, or a flatmetal film. If light is to be transmitted toward the substrate 100, thesubstrate 100 may be a transparent substrate such as a sapphiresubstrate, a quartz substrate, or a glass substrate.

The first electrode layer 110 may be a transparent electrode layer, forexample, an ITO layer. The second electrode layer 140 may be formed ofaluminum, gold, or magnesium by deposition. If light is transmittedthrough the second electrode layer 140, the second electrode layer 140may be a transparent electrode layer such as an ITO layer.

The nanowires 120 may emit ultraviolet light or blue light. When thenanowires 120 are composed of ZnO, ultraviolet light is emitted. Whenthe nanowires are composed of Si, infrared light is emitted. When thenanowires are composed of GaN, ultraviolet light or blue light isemitted. When the nanowires are composed of InGaN, blue light isemitted. The nanowires 120 may have a diameter of 20-100 nm and a lengthof 1 mm.

The nanowires have a p-i-n junction structure comprising the p-dopedportion 122, the n-doped portion 126, and the intrinsic portion 124.

The p-type doped portion 122 is a portion formed by adsorbing a p-typedopant into the surface of the nanowires 120. A molecule having a highelectron affinity such as tetrafluoro-tetracyano-quinodimethane(F4-TCNQ), which is an organic electron acceptor molecule, may be usedas the p-type dopant. Because the p-type dopant takes electrons from thecorresponding surfaces of the nanowires 120, holes are formed on thesurfaces of the nanowires where the p-type dopant is adsorbed. Thus, thep-type doped portion 122 is formed. The p-type doped portion 122 maycontain electron acceptor atoms therein.

The n-type doped portion 126 is a portion formed by adsorbing an n-typedopant onto the surface of the nanowires 120. Molecules having a lowionization potential such as an organic electron donor molecule or amolecule containing at least one of lithium, copper, and zinc may beused as the n-type dopant. For example, copper phthalocyanine (CuPc),zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc), pentacene, orbis(ethylenddithio)tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF) may be used for then-type dopant. Because the n-type dopant provides electrons to thecorresponding surfaces of the nanowires 120, free electrons aregenerated on the surfaces of the nanowires where the n-type dopant isadsorbed. Thus, the n-type doped portion 126 is formed. The n-type dopedportion 126 may contain electron donor atoms therein.

The insulating polymer 130 prevents electric contact between thenanowires 120. A fluorescent material is embedded inside the insulatingpolymer 130 such that ultraviolet light emitted from the nanowires 120can be adsorbed onto the fluorescent material and a predeterminedvisible wavelength can be emitted from the fluorescent material. Thepolymer 130 may also be an insulating polymer in which a dye or quantumdot is embedded. Most semiconductor compounds, for example ZnS, CdS,ZnSe, CdSe, and InP, may be used as the quantum dot. A photoresist canbe the insulating polymer 130 containing the fluorescent material, dye,or quantum dot.

Ultraviolet light emitted from the nanowires 120 is adsorbed by thefluorescent material, dye, or quantum dot that is embedded in theinsulating layer 130. The fluorescent material, dye, or quantum dot thatadsorbs the ultraviolet emits a predetermined color.

A visible ray emitted from the fluorescent material, dye, or quantum dotvaries according to the fluorescent material, the color of the dye, orthe size of the quantum dot.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating how a fluorescent material, dye, orquantum dot, which is a light emitting material, is embedded in theinsulating polymer. A plurality of quantum dots 202 are embedded in theinsulating polymer 200.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating colloidal quantum dots in which organicmolecule chains 302 are attached to the quantum dots 300. Instead ofusing the polymer in which a fluorescent material, a dye, or a quantumdot is embedded, the colloidal quantum dots of FIG. 3 may be used bystacking them between the nanowires 120. The organic molecule chain 302may be composed of a material such as trioctylphospine oxide (TOPO) or1.6-hexanedithiol (HDT).

A reflective layer 112 may be interposed between the substrate 100 andthe first electrode layer 110. A long-wave pass filter can be used asthe reflective layer 112. When the reflective layer 112 has a thicknessequal to the wavelength of light emitted from the nanowires 120, forexample, the wavelength of ultraviolet light, the reflective layer 112reflects the ultraviolet light, which is emitted from the intrinsicportion 124 of the nanowires 120, back inside the light emitting deviceand transmits only visible rays to the outside. Therefore, thereflective layer 112 contributes all the ultraviolet light emitted fromthe nanowires 120 to emit visible rays, thus improving light emittingefficiency.

The reflective layer 112 does not have to be disposed below the firstelectrode layer 110. That is, the reflective layer 112 may be disposedabove the first electrode layer 110 when the reflective layer 112 isconductive. If the light of the light emitting device is emitted throughthe second electrode layer 140, the second electrode layer 140 may becomposed of a transparent electrode and the reflective layer 120 may bedisposed on the second electrode layer 140.

The operation of a light emitting device having the above structure willbe now described with reference to the attached drawings.

First, holes from the p-type doped portion 122 and the electrons fromthe n-type doped portion 126 combine in the intrinsic portion 124 when apositive voltage is applied to the first electrode layer 110 connectedto the p-type doped portion 122 of the nanowires 120 and a negativevoltage is applied to the second electrode layer 140 connected to then-type doped portion 126 of the nanowires 120, thus emitting light. Theultraviolet light emitted from the intrinsic portion 124 disperses inevery direction. Some of the ultraviolet light that meets nearbyfluorescent material embedded in the insulating polymer 130 excites thefluorescent material, which then emits visible rays. The visible raysare transmitted through the transparent first electrode layer 110, thereflective layer 112, and the transparent substrate 100.

Some of the ultraviolet light emitted from the nanowires 120 that goestowards the second electrode layer 140 is reflected by the secondelectrode layer 140, back into the light emitting device, and adsorbedby the fluorescent material, which emits visible rays. The ultravioletlight heading towards the first electrode layer 110 is reflected by thereflective layer 112 into the polymer containing the fluorescentmaterial, and excites the fluorescent material.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a nanowire light emitting deviceaccording to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.Like reference numerals in FIGS. 1 and 2 denote like elements, and theirdescription will not be repeated.

Referring to FIG. 4, a conductive layer (a first electrode layer) 110 isformed on a substrate 100 and a plurality of nanowires 120′ are formedroughly at right angles to the conductive layer 110. An insulatingpolymer 130 in which a light emitting material is embedded fills a spacebetween the nanowires 120′. An electrode layer (a second electrodelayer) 140 is formed on the nanowires 120′.

A reflective layer 112 may be interposed between the substrate 100 andthe first electrode layer 110. A long-wave pass filter can be used asthe reflective layer 112. When the reflective layer 112 has a thicknessequal to the wavelength of light emitted from the nanowires 120′, forexample, the wavelength of ultraviolet light, the reflective layer 112reflects the ultraviolet light, which is emitted from a light emittinglayer 128 of the nanowires 120′, back inside the light emitting deviceand transmits only visible rays to the outside. Therefore, thereflective layer 112 contributes all the ultraviolet light emitted fromthe nanowires 120′ to emit visible rays, thus improving light emittingefficiency.

The nanowires 120′ include a p-type doped portion 122 and an n-typedoped portion 126 contacting each other. A contact boundary of the twodoped portions 122 and 126 forms a light emitting layer 128. Such alight emitting structure is a p-n junction structure, in comparison tothe p-i-n junction structure of the first exemplary embodiment.

The insulating polymer 130 prevents electric contact between thenanowires 120′. A fluorescent material is embedded inside the insulatingpolymer 130 such that ultraviolet light emitted from the nanowires 120′can be adsorbed onto the fluorescent material and a predeterminedvisible wavelength can be emitted from the fluorescent material. Thepolymer 130 may also be an insulating polymer in which a dye or quantumdot is embedded. Most semiconductor compounds, for example ZnS, CdS,ZnSe, CdSe, and InP, may be used as the quantum dot. A photoresist canbe the insulating polymer 130 containing the fluorescent material, dye,or quantum dot.

Ultraviolet light emitted from the nanowires 120′ is adsorbed by thefluorescent material, dye, or quantum dot that is embedded in theinsulating layer 130. The fluorescent material, dye, or quantum dot thatadsorbs the ultraviolet emits a predetermined color.

Ultraviolet light is emitted from the light emitting layer 128 when adirect current is supplied to both ends of the nanowires 220′. Theultraviolet light excites the fluorescent material, dye, or quantum dotembedded in the polymer 130 and emits a predetermined visible ray.

In the nanowire light emitting device according to exemplary embodimentsof the present invention, the colors of visible rays emitted from apredetermined region can be controlled by controlling the kind or sizeof a fluorescent material, dye, or quantum dot inside an insulatinglayer. Also, the efficiency of producing colored light is improved byinserting into the light emitting device a material that controlscolors.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form anddetails may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the following claims.

1. A nanowire light emitting device comprising: a substrate; a firstconductive layer formed on the substrate; a plurality of nanowiresvertically formed on the first conductive layer, each nanowirecomprising a p-doped portion and an n-doped portion; a light emittinglayer between the p-doped portion and the n-doped portion; a secondconductive layer formed on the nanowires; and an insulating polymer inwhich a light emitting material is embedded, filling a space between thenanowires, wherein a color of light emitted from the light emittinglayer varies according to the light emitting material.
 2. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the p-doped portion and n-doped portion are doped withdopant atoms when the nanowires are grown or are formed by adsorbingorganic molecules onto a surface of the nanowires.
 3. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the light emitting layer comprises a contact boundarybetween the p-doped portion and the n-doped portion.
 4. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the light emitting layer comprises an undoped intrinsicportion formed between the p-doped portion and the n-doped portion. 5.The device of claim 1, wherein the light emitting material comprises afluorescent material.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the lightemitting material comprises a dye.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein thelight emitting material comprises a quantum dot.
 8. The device of claim1, wherein the insulating polymer in which the embedded light emittingmaterial comprises a colloidal quantum dot.
 9. The device of claim 1,further comprising a reflective layer that reflects light emitted fromthe nanowires.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the reflective layeris disposed below the first conductive layer, and the substrate and thefirst conductive layer are light transmitting materials.
 11. The deviceof claim 9, wherein the reflective layer is disposed on the secondconductive layer, and the second conductive layer is a transparentelectrode.
 12. The device of claim 2, wherein the p-doped portion is aportion of the nanowires where molecules having a high electron affinityare adsorbed on the surface of the nanowires.
 13. The device of claim12, wherein the p-doped portion is a portion of the nanowires wheremolecules containing fluorine are adsorbed.
 14. The device of claim 13,wherein the molecules containing fluorine aretetrafluoro-tetracyano-quinodimethane (F4-TCNQ).
 15. The device of claim2, wherein the n-doped portion is a portion of the nanowires wheremolecules having a low ionization potential are adsorbed on the surfaceof the nanowires.
 16. The device of claim 15, wherein the n-dopedportion is a portion of the nanowires where organic electron donormolecules or molecules containing at least one metal selected from thegroup consisting of lithium, copper, and zinc is adsorbed.
 17. Thedevice of claim 16, wherein the n-doped portion is a portion of thenanowires where at least one material selected from the group consistingof copper phthalocyanine (CuPc), zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc), pentacene,and bis(ethylenddithio)tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF) is adsorbed.